| y"> | | | | downstream onto medium-to-low voltage lines. |
| Ok, hear me out on this one. I'm sitting at my | | | | Special devices will then relay and repackage the |
| computer in my home office last night, reading | | | | data because the signals will only make it so far |
| articles to help me come up with the next idea | | | | on their own. The signals can then be accessed |
| for "The e-Business Resource" blog and I came | | | | via a direct connection through their standard |
| across an article written by Gary Beach, a | | | | power lines that run to their house or via a |
| publisher at His article talks about a new | | | | wireless connection... and finally, POOF ... directly to |
| technology coined by the Federal Communications | | | | a standard electrical outlet in your home. |
| Commission (FCC) called BPL or Broadband over | | | | So it probably seems to be years away doesn't |
| Power Lines. BPL is a terms that defines the | | | | it? Actually, broadband over power lines (BPL) is |
| ability to connect to the Web, via a high-speed | | | | currently used in Cincinnati and its surrounding |
| Internet connection, through a standard power | | | | areas to over 50,000 homes, to over 700 |
| line. Does this means that you can plug your | | | | households in Manassas, Virginia, as a trial by |
| computer directly into a standard electrical outlet | | | | EarthLink in Manhattan, New York and to |
| and connect to the Internet? Yes, exactly! | | | | increasingly more cities as time goes on. By the |
| Interesting, I know. I was just as intrigued as you | | | | time you read this article there will be more cities |
| probably are, so I began to research the Internet | | | | developing the ability to install PBL directly to the |
| for more information on this topic. I came across | | | | homes in their area. |
| a slew of information about the future of running | | | | According to an article on internetnews.com, |
| broadband over power lines directly to the home | | | | Google (Quote, Chart), Goldman Sachs and the |
| and office. This new plug and play technology, as | | | | Hearst Corporation have teamed up and invested |
| they call it, is aimed to bridge the gap between | | | | $100 million in Current Communications Group, |
| home users who use dialup vs. those who use | | | | which is providing BPL in the Cincinnati area |
| Cable and DSL to connect to the Internet. | | | | together with Midwest utility Cinergy. Current |
| Currently, there are nearly two-thirds of U.S. | | | | Communications, a Germantown, Md.-based |
| households who use dialup connections or are not | | | | company providing broadband over power lines |
| connected online at all... this was an amazing | | | | (BPL), said the investment would offer consumers |
| statistic to me but if this is true then I agree | | | | a faster alternative outlet for voice, video and |
| there is definitely room for more players to | | | | data services. |
| compete with Cable and DSL Internet service | | | | So as we can see, the ways in which we connect |
| providers. | | | | to the Internet is constantly changing before our |
| Digital power lines are believed to carry data at | | | | very eyes. What does BPL hold for our future? |
| between 500 kilobits to 3 megabits per second, | | | | Since our electrical outlets will allow us to gain |
| the same speed of DSL or Cable, if not better. | | | | access to the Internet, does this mean our |
| The PBL technology works like this: First, the data | | | | computer can now talk to our microwave or |
| is carried by the way of fiber optic or telephone | | | | television? Can we simply brew a pot of coffee |
| lines to surpass the high voltage power lines. At | | | | with the click of a mouse? Sounds like that could |
| that point the data is then streamed into an | | | | very well be possible. Only time will tell. |
| electrical power grid, which sends the data | | | | |